As both Bluetooth and WiFi communications technologies operate within the same 2.4 GHz frequency band, interference between data streams using the two protocols can occur. This interference can result in lost data in either or both of the Bluetooth and WiFi channels. In addition, this interference is more likely to occur when a single device employs both communication technologies because two potentially interfering channels may be active in a common spatial area and/or may use a single shared antenna. Moreover, Bluetooth and WiFi may simultaneously transmit data as the protocols are sometimes operated in an independent manner by different applications of a wireless device. However, interference may also occur between multiple wireless devices that are not communicating with each other.
There are several example scenarios when Bluetooth and WiFi might coexist. In one example, a mobile device may be connected to a wireless local area network (WLAN) using WiFi and a wireless headset using Bluetooth. In this example, a user may be operating a mobile device to establish a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) call using WiFi while also using a Bluetooth headset. In another example, a group of users may be playing a real-time game using WiFi as a game data transport, while a subset of those users are listening to game audio using a Bluetooth connected headset.
As the use of wireless technologies continues to increase, the potential for problems caused by interference will also increase. Accordingly, there remains a need to reduce or prevent the occurrence of interference when both Bluetooth and WiFi are present.